Methods and apparatus for enabling communication between network elements that operate at different bit rates

ABSTRACT

A method for enabling network elements (NEs) operating at a bit rate R 1  to communicate with NEs operating at a bit rate R 2  is described. A ratio of R 2  to R 1  is represented by a ratio M:N, M and N are positive integers, and M&gt;N. The method includes providing a number M×K of the NEs operating at a bit rate R 1 , each of the M×K NEs including a communication interface communicating at the bit rate R 1 , where K is a positive integer, providing a number N×K of transceivers operating at the bit rate R 2 , each of the N×K transceivers including an M:N electrical interface which enables translation between bit rates whose ratio is represented by the ratio M:N, bypassing the communication interfaces of the M×K NEs by interconnecting electrical lanes of the M×K NEs with the M:N electrical interfaces of the N×K transceivers, and using at least one of the N×K transceivers for communicating data between at least one of the M×K NEs interconnected with the at least one of the N×K transceivers and at least one of the NEs operating at the bit rate R 2 . Related apparatus and methods are also described.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a division of application Ser. No. 13/752,306, filedJan. 28, 2013, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,594,091, which is a continuation ofapplication Ser. No. 13/475,795, filed May 18, 2012, now U.S. Pat. No.8,363,652, which is a division of application Ser. No. 13/243,139, filedSep. 23, 2011, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,223,768, which is a division ofapplication Ser. No. 13/095,212, filed Apr. 27, 2011, now U.S. Pat. No.8,098,661, which is a division of application Ser. No. 12/062,655, filedApr. 4, 2008, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,965,712, each of which is incorporatedby reference and from which priority is claimed.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention generally relates to communication networks, andmore particularly to Ethernet networks.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The increase in communication capacity which is experienced today due toa variety of information technology (IT) services drives efforts todevelop technologies that will enable routers and servers to communicateat higher and higher bit rates. As part of these efforts, attempts arebeing made to define, standardize, and develop technologies for 40gigabit Ethernet (GbE) and 100 GbE. Some aspects of such attempts aredescribed in the following publications:

an article entitled “Moving Standards to 100 GbE and Beyond”, by JohnMcDonough, in IEEE Applications & Practice, November 2007, pages 6-9;

an article entitled “A Roadmap to 100 G Ethernet at the Enterprise DataCenter”, by Benner et al, in IEEE Applications & Practice, November2007, pages 10-17;

an article entitled “Delivering on the 100 GbE Promise”, by Cvijetic etal, in IEEE Applications & Practice, December 2007, pages 2-3; and

an article entitled “100 GbE—Optical LAN Technologies”, by Cole et al,in IEEE Applications & Practice, December 2007, pages 12-19.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention, in certain embodiments thereof, seeks to improvefunctionality and interconnectivity of network elements (NEs), such asNEs of an Ethernet network (Ethernet NEs) and NEs of a transport network(transport NEs), particularly in connection with enabling communicationbetween NEs that operate at a first bit rate and NEs that operate at asecond bit rate which is different from the first bit rate.

There is thus provided in accordance with an embodiment of the presentinvention a method for enabling NEs operating at a bit rate R₁ tocommunicate with NEs operating at a bit rate R₂, where a ratio of R₂ toR₁ is represented by a ratio M:N, M and N are positive integers, andM>N, the method including providing a number M×K of the NEs operating ata bit rate R₁, each of the M×K NEs including a communication interfacecommunicating at the bit rate R₁, where K is a positive integer,providing a number N×K of transceivers operating at the bit rate R₂,each of the N×K transceivers including an M:N electrical interface whichenables translation between bit rates whose ratio is represented by theratio M:N, bypassing the communication interfaces of the M×K NEs byinterconnecting electrical lanes of the M×K NEs with the M:N electricalinterfaces of the N×K transceivers, and using at least one of the N×Ktransceivers for communicating data between at least one of the M×K NEsinterconnected with the at least one of the N×K transceivers and atleast one of the NEs operating at the bit rate R₂.

At least some of the NEs operating at the bit rate R₁ and at least someof the NEs operating at the bit rate R₂ may include Ethernet networkelements.

The bit rate R₁ may be a bit rate of substantially 40 Gb/s (Gb/s—gigabitper second), the bit rate R₂ may be a bit rate of substantially 100Gb/s, and M:N=5:2.

The bypassing may include bypassing the communication interfaces of theM×K NEs in response to at least one of the following: an instruction ofa network operator, and a selection by the network operator.

The bypassing may alternatively or additionally include determining adistribution of the electrical lanes of the M×K NEs, and interconnectingeach lane of the distribution with a respective lane port of one of theM:N electrical interfaces.

The method may also include transmitting an indication identifying thedistribution to at least one of the following: at least one of the M×KNEs, and at least one of the NEs operating at the bit rate R₂.

The determining may also include determining the distribution inresponse to at least one of the following: an instruction of a networkoperator, and a selection by the network operator.

There is also provided in accordance with an embodiment of the presentinvention a method of interconnecting Ethernet network elements (ENEs)operating at a bit rate of substantially 40 Gb/s with transceiversoperating at a bit rate of substantially 100 Gb/s, the method includingproviding a number 5×K of the ENEs operating at the bit rate ofsubstantially 40 Gb/s, each of the 5×K ENEs including a communicationinterface communicating at the bit rate of substantially 40 Gb/s, whereK is a positive integer, providing a number 2×K of the transceiversoperating at the bit rate of substantially 100 Gb/s, each of the 2×Ktransceivers having a 5:2 electrical interface operative to convert 10lanes at substantially 10 Gb/s lane rates into 4 lanes at substantially25 Gb/s lane rates, and to convert 4 lanes at substantially 25 Gb/s lanerates into 10 lanes at substantially 10 Gb/s lane rates, and bypassingat least one of the communication interfaces by interconnecting at leastone electrical lane of at least one of the 5×K ENEs which includes theat least one of the communication interfaces with at least one of the5:2 electrical interfaces.

Further in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention thereis provided a method for enabling a network element (NE) operating at abit rate R₁ which represents an accumulated bit rate of N×J lanes, eachoperating at a lane bit rate R₀ to communicate with an NE operating at abit rate R₂ which represents an accumulated bit rate of M×J lanes, eachoperating at the lane bit rate R₀, where N, M, and J are positiveintegers, and M>N, the method including providing at least onetransceiver which operates at the bit rate R₂ and includes M×J laneports for lanes operating at the lane bit rate R₀, interconnecting N×Jlanes of the NE operating at the bit rate R₁ with N×J of the M×J laneports of the at least one transceiver, and using the at least onetransceiver for communicating data between the NE operating at the bitrate R₁ and the NE operating at the bit rate R₂.

Still further in accordance with an embodiment of the present inventionthere is provided an interconnection switch for enabling NEs operatingat a bit rate R₁ to communicate with NEs operating at a bit rate R₂ viatransceivers operating at the bit rate R₂, where a ratio of R₂ to R₁ isrepresented by a ratio M:N, M and N are positive integers, and M>N, theinterconnection switch including a controller, and a switching/routingunit operatively controlled by the controller to interconnect electricallanes of a number M×K of the NEs operating at the bit rate R₁ with M:Nelectrical interfaces of a number N×K of the transceivers operating atthe bit rate R₂ so as to bypass communication interfaces of the M×K NEsand to enable use of at least one of the N×K transceivers forcommunicating data between at least one of the M×K NEs interconnectedwith the at least one of the N×K transceivers and at least one of theNEs operating at the bit rate R₂, where K is a positive integer.

The controller may be operative to determine a distribution of theelectrical lanes of the M×K NEs, and to control the switching/routingunit for interconnecting each lane of the distribution with a respectivelane port of the M:N electrical interfaces.

The interconnection switch may also include a transmitter operative totransmit an indication identifying the distribution to at least one ofthe following: at least one of the M×K NEs, and at least one of the NEsoperating at the bit rate R₂.

The interconnection switch may further include an input unit operativeto receive an input usable for determining the distribution.

At least some of the NEs operating at the bit rate R₁ and at least someof the NEs operating at the bit rate R₂ may include Ethernet networkelements.

The bit rate R₁ may be a bit rate of substantially 40 Gb/s, the bit rateR₂ may be a bit rate of substantially 100 Gb/s, and M:N=5:2.

The interconnection switch may be comprised in one of the following: adatacenter; an Ethernet network element, and a transceiver operating ata bit rate of substantially 100 Gb/s.

There is also provided in accordance with an embodiment of the presentinvention an Ethernet network element (ENE) operating at a bit rate ofsubstantially 40 Gb/s, the ENE including a transceiver including anelectrical interface operatively associated with electrical lanes, eachoperating at a substantially 10 Gb/s lane rate, and a communicationinterface operative to convert electrical signals provided over theelectrical lanes into substantially 40 Gb/s signals, to transmit thesubstantially 40 Gb/s signals, and to convert received signals atsubstantially 40 Gb/s into lane-separated electrical signals atsubstantially 10 Gb/s lane rates, and an element controller operative tocontrol the electrical interface for effecting communication withanother ENE operating at the bit rate of substantially 40 Gb/s via thecommunication interface by interconnecting the electrical lanes with thecommunication interface, and for effecting communication with an ENEoperating at a bit rate of substantially 100 Gb/s by bypassing thecommunication interface and interconnecting the electrical lanes with atleast one 5:2 electrical interface of at least one transceiver whichcommunicates at the bit rate of substantially 100 Gb/s with the ENEoperating at the bit rate of substantially 100 Gb/s.

At least one of the electrical lanes includes one of the following lanetypes: an electrical lane of an intra-rack interconnection, anelectrical lane of an inter-rack interconnection, an electrical lane ofa high performance computing (HPC) interconnection, an electrical laneof a server interconnection, an electrical lane of a local area network(LAN) interconnection, an electrical lane of a metropolitan area network(MAN) interconnection, an electrical lane of a wide area network (WAN)interconnection, an electrical lane of a storage area network (SAN)interconnection, and an electrical lane of a cluster networkinterconnection.

Further in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention thereis provided a datacenter including at least a number 5×K of ENEsoperating at a bit rate of substantially 40 Gb/s, where K is a positiveinteger, a plurality of optical transceivers operating at a bit rate ofsubstantially 100 Gb/s, each of the plurality of optical transceiversincluding a 5:2 electrical interface which enables translation betweenbit rates whose ratio is represented by the ratio 5:2, and aninterconnection switch operatively associated with the ENEs operating atthe bit rate of substantially 40 Gb/s and with the optical transceiversand including a controller, and a switching/routing unit operativelycontrolled by the controller to interconnect electrical lanes of anumber 5×K of the ENEs operating at the bit rate of substantially 40Gb/s with 5:2 electrical interfaces of a number 2×K of the opticaltransceivers so as to bypass communication interfaces of the 5×K ENEsand to enable use of at least one of the 2×K optical transceivers forcommunicating data between at least one of the 5×K ENEs interconnectedwith the at least one of the 2×K optical transceivers and at least oneENE operating at a bit rate of substantially 100 Gb/s.

At least one of the ENEs operating at the bit rate of substantially 40Gb/s includes a server.

At least one of the 5:2 electrical interfaces includes at least one 5:2serializer/de-serializer (SerDes) integrated circuit (IC).

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will be understood and appreciated more fully fromthe following detailed description, taken in conjunction with thedrawings in which:

FIGS. 1A and 1B together constitute a simplified block diagramillustration of an implementation of a communication network whichcomprises and interconnects network elements (NEs) that operate atdifferent bit rates, the communication network being constructed andoperative in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 2A and 2B together constitute a simplified block diagramillustration of another implementation of the communication network ofFIGS. 1A and 1B in accordance with another embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 3 is a simplified flowchart illustration of a method of enablingcommunication between NEs operating at different bit rates in any of thenetwork of FIGS. 1A and 1B and the network of FIGS. 2A and 2B;

FIG. 4 is a simplified flowchart illustration of a method ofinterconnecting Ethernet network elements (ENEs) operating at a bit rateof substantially 40 Gb/s with transceivers operating at a bit rate ofsubstantially 100 Gb/s in any of the network of FIGS. 1A and 1B and thenetwork of FIGS. 2A and 2B; and

FIG. 5 is a simplified flowchart illustration of another method ofenabling communication between NEs operating at different bit rates inany of the network of FIGS. 1A and 1B and the network of FIGS. 2A and2B.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF AN EMBODIMENT

Reference is now made to FIGS. 1A and 1B, which together constitute asimplified block diagram illustration of an implementation of acommunication network 10 which comprises and interconnects networkelements (NEs) that operate at different bit rates, the communicationnetwork 10 being constructed and operative in accordance with anembodiment of the present invention.

By way of a non-limiting example, the network 10 in the embodiment ofFIGS. 1A and 1B comprises an Ethernet network and the NEs compriseEthernet NEs (ENEs). It is, however, appreciated that the network 10 mayalternatively comprise a transport network, a transport networkassociated with an Ethernet network, a combination of an Ethernetnetwork and a transport network, or any other appropriate network, inwhich case the NEs may comprise any appropriate respective NEs.

The network 10 and the NEs comprised therein may be used in any of thefollowing network applications: a datacenter application; a local areanetwork (LAN) application; a wide area network (WAN) application; ametropolitan area network (MAN) application; a storage area network(SAN) application; a cluster network application; an enterprise businessdata analysis application; a high performance computing (HPC)application; an intra-rack application; an inter-rack application; andan edge router application. For simplicity of depiction and description,and without limiting the generality of the foregoing, FIGS. 1A and 1Bare depicted and described below in the context of a datacenterapplication, but it is appreciated that such depiction and descriptionmay also be applicable for any of the above-mentioned networkapplications.

In the datacenter application of FIGS. 1A and 1B, a datacenter 20includes a plurality of NEs, at least some of the plurality of NEscomprising Ethernet NEs (ENEs) 30. By way of a non-limiting example,each ENE 30 comprises a server. The ENEs 30 operate at a bit rate R₁ andcommunicate with one another at the bit rate R₁ via at least one hub orconcentration point 40.

The ENEs 30 also communicate with remote NEs. At least some of theremote NEs comprise ENEs 50 that operate at a bit rate R₂ which isgreater than R₁. Each ENE 50 may, by way of a non-limiting example,comprise a router.

The ENEs 30 communicate with the ENEs 50 via transceivers 60 thatoperate at the bit rate R₂, and via at least one hub or concentrationpoint 70. By way of a non-limiting example, in the embodiment of FIGS.1A and 1B the ENEs 30 communicate with the ENEs 50 in the opticaldomain, that is, by using optical communication. In such a case, thetransceivers 60 comprise optical transceivers which operate at the bitrate R₂, and the hub or concentration point 70 comprises an optical hubor concentration point which may, for example, comprise a passiveoptical hub enabling operation in a bus/broadcast configuration.

It is, however, appreciated that in a case where the ENEs 30 communicatewith the ENEs 50 over short communication paths, such as over paths ofup to 10 meters long, the ENEs 30 may alternatively communicate with theENEs 50 in the electrical domain, in which case radio-frequency (RF)transceivers and an RF hub (all not shown) may replace the opticaltransceivers 60 and the optical hub 70, respectively.

The term “transceiver” is used throughout the present specification andclaims to include a combination of a transmitter and a receiver. Theterm “optical transceiver” is used throughout the present specificationand claims to include a combination of an optical transmitter and anoptical receiver.

FIG. 1A depicts the network 10 in communication in a direction from theENEs 30, that is, towards the hub 40 and/or towards the ENEs 50, andFIG. 1B depicts the network 10 in communication in a direction towardsthe ENEs 30, that is, from the hub 40 and/or from the ENEs 50.

A ratio of the bit rate R₂ to the bit rate R₁ is represented by a ratioM:N, M and N are positive integers, and M>N. For example, R₂ and R₁ maybe as follows: R₂=M×J×R₀ (“×” is multiplication sign), and R₁=N×J×R₀,where J is a positive integer and R₀ is, for example, a lane bit rate.

By way of a non-limiting example, in the embodiment of FIGS. 1A and 1Bthe bit rate R₁ is a bit rate of substantially 40 Gb/s (Gb/s—gigabit persecond), and therefore each ENE 30 transmits data to at least one otherENE 30 via the hub 40 at substantially 40 Gb/s and receives data from atleast one other ENE 30 via the hub 40 at substantially 40 Gb/s. Furtherby way of a non-limiting example, in the embodiment of FIGS. 1A and 1Bthe bit rate R₂ is a bit rate of substantially 100 Gb/s, and thereforeeach ENE 50 transmits data to at least one other ENE 50 and/or towardsthe ENEs 30 via the hub 70 at substantially 100 Gb/s and receives datafrom at least one other ENE 50 and/or from the ENEs 30 via the hub 70 atsubstantially 100 Gb/s.

The bit rate of substantially 40 Gb/s represents an accumulated bit rateof 4 lanes, each operating at a lane bit rate R₀ of substantially 10Gb/s, and the bit rate of substantially 100 Gb/s represents anaccumulated bit rate of 10 lanes, each operating at the lane bit rateR₀. Therefore, in the embodiment of FIGS. 1A and 1B R₁=4×R₀, R₂=10×R₀,the ratio R₂ to R₁ is represented by the non-integer ratio 10:4=5:2,which means that M=5 and N=2, and J=2.

The term “substantially 10 Gb/s” is used throughout the presentspecification and claims to refer to a bit rate of 10 Gb/s orapproximately 10 Gb/s, the term “substantially 40 Gb/s” is usedthroughout the present specification and claims to refer to a bit rateof 40 Gb/s or approximately 40 Gb/s, the term “substantially 100 Gb/s”is used throughout the present specification and claims to refer to abit rate of 100 Gb/s or approximately 100 Gb/s, and so forth. Forexample, the bit rate of substantially 10 Gb/s may be 10.3125 Gb/s whichis greater than 10 Gb/s, the bit rate of substantially 40 Gb/s may be4×10.3125 Gb/s, which means that the bit rate of substantially 40 Gb/sis greater than 40 Gb/s, and the bit rate of substantially 100 Gb/s maybe 10×10.3125 Gb/s, which means that the bit rate of substantially 100Gb/s is greater than 100 Gb/s.

Each ENE 30 includes a transceiver 80 and an element controller (EC) 90.Each transceiver 80 includes an electrical interface (EI) 100 and acommunication interface (CI) 110. The electrical interface 100 and thecommunication interface 110 may, by way of a non-limiting example, becomprised in one or more integrated circuits (ICs).

The electrical interface 100 is operatively associated with electricallanes 120, each operating at the lane bit rate R₀ of substantially 10Gb/s. The electrical lanes 120 comprise separate lanes for transmissionof data and for reception of data. Since R₁=4×R₀, the electricalinterface 100 is associated with 4 electrical lanes 120 for transmissionof data as shown in FIG. 1A, and with 4 electrical lanes 120 forreception of data as shown in FIG. 1B.

The electrical lanes 120 in each ENE 30 may originate from or terminateat interconnections within the ENE 30 and/or elements orinterconnections associated with the ENE 30. For example, the electricallanes 120 may originate from or terminate at an external elementassociated with the ENE 30, where the external element may be a storagedevice, a controller, or a service supplier source. For simplicity ofdepiction and description, and without limiting the generality of theforegoing, origins and terminations of the electrical lanes 120 in eachENE 30 are generally denoted by reference numeral 125. At least one ofthe electrical lanes 120 comprises one of the following lane types: anelectrical lane of an intra-rack interconnection; an electrical lane ofan inter-rack interconnection; an electrical lane of an HPCinterconnection; an electrical lane of a server interconnection; anelectrical lane of a LAN interconnection; an electrical lane of a MANinterconnection; an electrical lane of a WAN interconnection; anelectrical lane of a SAN interconnection; and an electrical lane of acluster network interconnection. The electrical lanes 120 in each ENE 30may either comprise electrical lanes of the same lane type, or comprisea combination of at least two of the lane types mentioned above.

The EC 90 is operatively associated with the electrical interface 100and with the communication interface 110.

By way of a non-limiting example, the ENEs 30 in the embodiment of FIGS.1A and 1B communicate with one another in the optical domain, that is,by using optical communication and the hub 40 comprises an optical hubor concentration point which may, for example, comprise a passiveoptical hub enabling operation in a bus/broadcast configuration. In sucha case, the communication interface 110 comprises an electro-optic (E/O)communication interface communicating in the optical domain at the bitrate R₁. It is, however, appreciated that the ENEs 30 may alternativelycommunicate with one another in the electrical domain, in which case thecommunication interface 110 comprises an RF communication interface (notshown) communicating in the electrical domain at the bit rate R₁.

The E/O communication interface 110 includes, for example, atransmission sub-unit (not shown) which comprises a combination of laserdrivers (LDs) and lasers, such as vertical cavity surface-emittinglasers (VCSELs) (all not shown). When the E/O communication interface110 receives, via the electrical interface 100, data to be transmittedtowards the hub 40, the E/O communication interface 110 employs thecombination of LDs and lasers to convert the data to be transmitted intooptical signals at substantially 40 Gb/s, and to transmit the opticalsignals at substantially 40 Gb/s to the hub 40.

By way of a non-limiting example, in the embodiment of FIG. 1A theoptical signals at substantially 40 Gb/s are transmitted in amultiplexed form over a fiber optic cable 130. In such a case, the E/Ocommunication interface 110 may also include a wavelength divisionmultiplexing (WDM) multiplexer (MUX) (not shown), and the WDM MUXmultiplexes optical signals outputted from the lasers to form theoptical signals at substantially 40 Gb/s. The optical signals atsubstantially 40 Gb/s are then transmitted over the fiber optic cable130 towards the hub 40.

Alternatively, the optical signals outputted from the lasers may betransmitted in a non-multiplexed form, in which case the optical signalsoutputted from the lasers may be transmitted towards the hub 40 over afiber ribbon cable (not shown) in which each fiber optic cable isassociated with one of the lasers.

The E/O communication interface 110 further includes, for example, areceiving sub-unit (not shown) which comprises a combination of PIN(p-intrinsic-n) photodiodes and amplifiers (all not shown). When the E/Ocommunication interface 110 receives optical signals at substantially 40Gb/s from the hub 40, the E/O communication interface 110 employs thePIN photodiodes to receive the optical signals at substantially 40 Gb/sand to convert the received optical signals into lane-separatedelectrical signals at substantially 10 Gb/s lane rates (that is, 4×10Gb/s), and employs the amplifiers to amplify the lane-separatedelectrical signals.

By way of a non-limiting example, in the embodiment of FIG. 1B thereceived optical signals comprise multiplexed optical signals and themultiplexed optical signals are received over a fiber optic cable 140.In such a case, the E/O communication interface 110 may also include aWDM demultiplexer (deMUX) (not shown) which demultiplexes themultiplexed optical signals prior to reception by the PIN photodiodes.

Alternatively, if the received optical signals comprise non-multiplexedoptical signals, the received non-multiplexed optical signals may, forexample, be received over a fiber ribbon cable (not shown) in which eachfiber optic cable is associated with one of the PIN photodiodes.

In a case where the ENEs 30 communicate with one another in theelectrical domain and the communication interface 110 comprises an RFcommunication interface, the RF communication interface accumulateselectrical signals provided over the electrical lanes 120 to formsubstantially 40 Gb/s electrical signals or converts the electricalsignals provided over the electrical lanes 120 into substantially 40Gb/s electrical signals, transmits the substantially 40 Gb/s electricalsignals, and converts received electrical signals at substantially 40Gb/s into lane-separated electrical signals at substantially 10 Gb/slane rates.

The RF communication interface may include, for example, an RFtransmitting unit (not shown) which multiplexes and modulates electricalsignals provided thereto as is well known in the art, and an RFreceiving unit (not shown) which demodulates and demultiplexeselectrical signals received thereat as is well known in the art.

The EC 90 is operative to control the electrical interface 100 foreffecting communication with another ENE 30 via the communicationinterface 110 by interconnecting the electrical lanes 120 with thecommunication interface 110, and for effecting communication with an ENE50 by bypassing the communication interface 110 and interconnecting theelectrical lanes 120 with an M:N electrical interface 150 of one opticaltransceiver 60 or with a plurality of M:N electrical interfaces 150 of aplurality of the optical transceivers 60. Each M:N electrical interface150 is associated with or comprises lane ports 155, and the electricallanes 120 are interconnected with the M:N electrical interface 150 orwith the plurality of M:N electrical interfaces 150 via the lane ports155.

It is appreciated that the EC 90 may be operative under control of anetwork operator (not shown), and the bypassing may be performed inresponse to at least one of the following: an instruction of the networkoperator; and a selection by the network operator.

In addition to an M:N electrical interface 150 and its lane ports 155,each optical transceiver 60 also comprises an E/O interface 160 and acontrol unit 170 which are operatively associated with the M:Nelectrical interface 150. The control unit 170 may comprise amicro-controller (not shown) which identifies and reports faults, suchas thermal deviation faults, and performs other transceiver controloperations.

Each M:N electrical interface 150 enables translation between bit rateswhose ratio is represented by the ratio M:N. Since in the embodiment ofFIGS. 1A and 1B M=5 and N=2, each M:N electrical interface 150 in theembodiment of FIGS. 1A and 1B is a 5:2 electrical interface enablingtranslation between bit rates whose ratio is represented by the ratio5:2.

FIG. 1A depicts only those parts of the 5:2 electrical interfaces 150and of the E/O interfaces 160 which are comprised in the opticaltransmitter sub-units of the optical transceivers 60. Each such part ofa 5:2 electrical interface 150 in one optical transmitter sub-unit ofone optical transceiver 60 comprises 10 of the lane ports 155 forassociation with 10 electrical lanes 120 which are used for transmissionto at least one of the ENEs 50 via the hub 70. FIG. 1B depicts onlythose parts of the 5:2 electrical interfaces 150 and of the E/Ointerfaces 160 which are comprised in the optical receiver sub-units ofthe optical transceivers 60. Each such part of a 5:2 electricalinterface 150 in one optical receiver sub-unit of one opticaltransceiver 60 comprises 10 of the lane ports 155 for association with10 electrical lanes 120 which are used for reception from at least oneof the ENEs 50 via the hub 70.

By way of a non-limiting example, 5 ENEs 30 are associated with 2optical transceivers 60 in the embodiment of FIGS. 1A and 1B. In FIG.1A, each optical transceiver 60 is associated with 10 electrical lanes120 which are used for transmission to at least one of the ENEs 50 andbranch off the electrical interfaces 100 of 3 of the 5 ENEs 30. In FIG.1B each optical transceiver 60 is associated with 10 electrical lanes120 which are used for reception from at least one of the ENEs 50 andcouple to the electrical interfaces 100 of the 3 ENEs 30.

In a case where the datacenter 20 includes more than 5 ENEs 30, thedatacenter 20 may utilize more than 2 optical transceivers 60.Basically, a number N×K of optical transceivers 60 is utilized with anumber M×K of the ENEs 30, where K is a positive integer. In such acase, in order to enable communication between the ENEs 30 and the ENEs50, the ECs 90 of the M×K ENEs 30 control the respective electricalinterfaces 100 of the M×K ENEs 30 so as to bypass the respectivecommunication interfaces 110 of the M×K ENEs 30 by interconnecting theelectrical lanes 120 of the M×K ENEs 30 with the M:N electricalinterfaces 150 of the N×K optical transceivers 60, and at least one ofthe N×K optical transceivers 60 is used for communicating data betweenat least one of the M×K ENEs 30 interconnected with the at least one ofthe N×K optical transceivers 60 and at least one of the ENEs 50. It isappreciated that the communication interfaces 110 of the M×K ENEs 30 maybe bypassed in response to at least one of the following: an instructionof the network operator; and a selection by the network operator.

Since in FIGS. 1A and 1B five ENEs 30 are associated with two opticaltransceivers 60, FIGS. 1A and 1B refer to a case where K=1. In FIGS. 1Aand 1B there are additional ENEs 30 which are illustrated withoutdepiction of any internal units. Such additional ENEs 30 are intended toshow that the datacenter 20 may include more than 5 ENEs 30. Theadditional ENEs 30 may be associated with additional opticaltransceivers 60 (not shown).

Since in the embodiment of FIGS. 1A and 1B each 5:2 electrical interface150 is associated with 10 electrical lanes 120 which are used fortransmission to at least one of the ENEs 50 and with 10 electrical lanes120 which are used for reception from at least one of the ENEs 50, each5:2 electrical interface 150 translates 10×10 Gb/s to 4×25 Gb/s and viceversa, that is, converts 10 lanes at substantially 10 Gb/s lane rates(10×10 Gb/s) into 4 lanes at substantially 25 Gb/s lane rates (4×25Gb/s) for transmission to at least one of the ENEs 50, and converts 4lanes at substantially 25 Gb/s lane rates (4×25 Gb/s) into 10 lanes atsubstantially 10 Gb/s lane rates (10×10 Gb/s) on reception from at leastone of the ENEs 50.

At least one of the 5:2 electrical interfaces 150 may comprise at leastone 5:2 serializer/de-serializer (SerDes) IC (not shown). In theembodiment of FIGS. 1A and 1B, each 5:2 electrical interface 150comprises two 5:2 SerDes ICs (not shown), each comprising one 5:2serializer IC and one 2:5 de-serializer IC. Each of the 5:2 SerDes ICsmay be a SerDes IC as described in the above-mentioned article of Coleet al. It is appreciated that the 5:2 electrical interface 150 mayalternatively comprise a single SerDes IC (not shown) comprising two 5:2serializer ICs and two 2:5 de-serializer ICs.

Each E/O interface 160 includes, for example, a combination of 4modulator drivers (MDs) and 4 electro-absorption modulator lasers (EMLs)or a combination of 4 laser drivers (LDs) and 4 direct modulation lasers(DMLs), and a WDM MUX (all not shown). The combination of 4 MDs and 4EMLs or the combination of 4 LDs and 4 DMLs receives 4×25 Gb/selectrical signals from the 5:2 electrical interface 150 associated withthe E/O interface 160, converts the 4×25 Gb/s electrical signals into4×25 Gb/s optical signals, and transmits the optical signals via the WDMMUX which multiplexes the 4×25 Gb/s optical signals into optical signalsat substantially 100 Gb/s. The optical signals at substantially 100 Gb/sare transmitted to the hub 70 over a fiber optic cable 180. The hub 70broadcasts the optical signals at substantially 100 Gb/s to the ENEs 50over fiber optic cables 185.

Each E/O interface 160 also includes, for example, a combination of 4PIN photodiodes and 4 amplifiers and a WDM deMUX (all not shown). TheWDM deMUX is operatively associated with the hub 70 via a fiber opticcable 190, and the hub 70 is operatively associated with each ENE 50 viaa fiber optic cable 195. The WDM deMUX receives optical signals atsubstantially 100 Gb/s which are transmitted by an ENE 50 over the fiberoptic cable 195 to the hub 70, and from the hub 70 over the fiber opticcable 190. The WDM deMUX demultiplexes the received optical signals into4×25 Gb/s optical signals, and provides the 4×25 Gb/s optical signals tothe 4 PIN photodiodes. The 4 PIN photodiodes convert the 4×25 Gb/soptical signals into 4×25 Gb/s electrical signals, and provide the 4×25Gb/s electrical signals to the 4 amplifiers which amplify the 4×25 Gb/selectrical signals and provide amplified 4×25 Gb/s electrical signals tothe associated 5:2 electrical interface 150.

In operation, the ENEs 30 may, for example, operate as a cluster ofservers 30 in which the servers 30 communicate with one another and withexternal clients (not shown) over links operating at substantially 40Gb/s, and with the ENEs 50 over links operating at substantially 100Gb/s. In such a case, a server 30 may, for example, process data and/orobtain data from one or more origins 125, and provide the data to itselectrical interface 100 over its electrical lanes 120. Each electricallane 120 operates at a substantially 10 Gb/s lane rate, and theaccumulated bit rate at the electrical interface 100 is a bit rate ofsubstantially 40 Gb/s.

If the data provided to the electrical interface 100 is intended foranother server 30 or for an external client associated with the cluster,the EC 90 causes the electrical interface 100 to interconnect theelectrical lanes 120 with the communication interface 110 for enablingthe server 30 to transmit the data at a bit rate of substantially 40Gb/s towards the hub 40. The hub 40 typically broadcasts the data to allof the servers 30 and external clients associated therewith, but only anaddressed server 30 or external client, that is, a server 30 or externalclient whose destination address is comprised in a destination addressfield of a packet comprised in or associated with the data, uses thedata. It is appreciated that since the data is transmitted at a bit rateof substantially 40 Gb/s which represents an accumulated bit rate of 4lanes, each operating at a lane bit rate of substantially 10 Gb/s, thepacket may be comprised in or associated with the data on a lane-by-lanebasis, that is, a copy of the packet is added to or associated with eachof the 4 lanes.

Since the hub 40 broadcasts the data, the transmitting server 30 alsoreceives a copy of the data over a fiber optic cable 140 associated withthe receiving sub-unit of the transmitting server 30. The transmittingserver 30 may then, for example, use the copy of the data to verify thatthe data was properly transmitted.

If the data provided to the electrical interface 100 is intended for anENE 50, the EC 90 causes the electrical interface 100 to bypass thecommunication interface 110 and to interconnect the electrical lanes 120with the 5:2 electrical interface 150 of one of the optical transceivers60, or with 5:2 electrical interfaces 150 of more than one opticaltransceiver 60, for enabling the server 30 to transmit the data towardsthe hub 70. The hub 70 typically broadcasts the data to all of the ENEs50, but only an addressed ENE 50, that is, an ENE 50 whose destinationaddress is comprised in a destination address field of a packetcomprised in or associated with the data, uses the data.

It is appreciated that since the hub 70 broadcasts the data, all theoptical transceivers 60 which are associated with the hub 70 alsoreceive a copy of the data at their optical receiver sub-units, anddistribute copies of the data to the servers 30 via the electrical lanes120 which are used for reception from the ENEs 50. Since the servers 30are not addressed, they do not use the copy of the data, but thetransmitting server 30 may, for example, use the copy of the data toverify that the data was properly transmitted.

It is further appreciated that since data transmitted from a server 30via at least one of the optical transceivers 60 and the hub 70 is alsoreceived by other servers 30, links provided via the opticaltransceivers 60 and the hub 70 and operating at substantially 100 Gb/smay also be used as backup and protection links for links provided viathe hub 40 and operating at substantially 40 Gb/s. Thus, if, forexample, the hub 40 becomes inoperable, the servers 30 may communicatewith one another over the links operating at substantially 100 Gb/sinstead of over the links operating at substantially 40 Gb/s.

In a case where an ENE 50 transmits data at substantially 100 Gb/s viathe hub 70, the hub 70 broadcasts the data to all of the ENEs 50 and theoptical transceivers 60 associated therewith, and the opticaltransceivers 60 provide a copy of the data to the servers 30 associatedtherewith via the optical receiver sub-units of the optical transceivers60 and via the electrical lanes 120 which are used for reception from atleast one of the ENEs 50. If the data comprises or is associated with apacket which has, in its destination address field, an address ofanother ENE 50, then only the addressed ENE 50 uses the data.

The data transmitted by the ENE 50 at substantially 100 Gb/s mayalternatively be intended for some servers 30. In such a case, the datacomprises or is associated with packets having, in their destinationaddress fields, addresses of such servers 30. Since the data istransmitted at a bit rate of substantially 100 Gb/s which represents anaccumulated bit rate of 10 lanes, each operating at a lane bit rate ofsubstantially 10 Gb/s, the packets may be comprised in or associatedwith the data on a lane-by-lane basis, that is, copies of the packetsare added to or associated with each of the 10 lanes. The opticaltransceivers 60 distribute the copy of the data to all of the servers 30associated therewith, but only the addressed servers 30 use the copy ofthe data.

The embodiment of FIGS. 1A and 1B enables the ENEs 30 to communicatewith the ENEs 50 by using the optical transceivers 60 for translatingfrom R₁ to R₂ and from R₂ to R₁ and without requiring additional,special-purpose equipment (not shown) for such translations thusimproving functionality and interconnectivity of the ENEs 30 and theENEs 50, particularly in connection with enabling communication betweenthe ENEs 30 and the ENEs 50. Such special-purpose equipment would haveotherwise been required if the hub 40 would have to be adapted tocommunicate with the hub 70 and the hub 70 would have to be adapted tocommunicate with the hub 40, or if each ENE 30 and each ENE 50 wouldhave to be individually adapted to communicate with one another. It isappreciated that such special-purpose equipment is typically complex andexpensive, particularly, but not only, if is it necessary to implementsuch adaptations in the optical domain, and particularly, but not only,in cases where the ratio M:N is non-integer.

The embodiment of FIGS. 1A and 1B also improves functionality andinterconnectivity of the ENEs 30 and the ENEs 50 by enabling linksoperating at substantially 100 Gb/s to be used as backup and protectionlinks for links operating at substantially 40 Gb/s.

The lane bit rate R₀ may be viewed as a common bit rate factor becauseR₁ is obtained from a multiplication of R₀ by the positive integers Nand J, R₂ is obtained from a multiplication of R₀ by the positiveintegers M and J, and each of the electrical lanes 120 operates at thelane bit rate R₀. The present invention, in certain embodiments thereof,uses this common bit rate factor to enable communication between an ENE30 and an ENE 50 by employing one or more of the optical transceivers 60without requiring the special-purpose equipment for translations betweenthe bit rates R₁ and R₂.

It is thus noted that in the present invention an ENE 30 operating atthe bit rate R₁ which represents an accumulated bit rate of N×J lanes,each operating at the lane bit rate R₀, is enabled to communicate withan ENE 50 operating at the bit rate R₂ which is greater than R₁ andrepresents an accumulated bit rate of M×J lanes, each operating at thelane bit rate R₀, by providing at least one transceiver 60 whichoperates at the bit rate R₂ and comprises M×J lane ports 155 for lanesoperating at the lane bit rate R₀, interconnecting N×J lanes 120 of theENE 30 with N×J of the M×J lane ports 155 of the at least onetransceiver 60, and using the at least one transceiver 60 forcommunicating data between the ENE 30 and the ENE 50.

In the embodiment of FIGS. 1A and 1B, the electrical lanes 120 used fortransmission to at least one of the ENEs 50 and the electrical lanes 120used for reception from at least one of the ENEs 50 are interconnectedwith the 5:2 electrical interfaces 150 of the optical transceivers 60 ina pre-selected interconnection scheme. In the pre-selectedinterconnection scheme of FIGS. 1A and 1B, only one ENE 30 has itselectrical lanes 120 which are used for transmission to at least one ofthe ENEs 50 split between two 5:2 electrical interfaces 150 and itselectrical lanes 120 which are used for reception from at least one ofthe ENEs 50 split between the two 5:2 electrical interfaces 150. Asimilar interconnection scheme may be applied in a case where K>1.

It is, however, appreciated that the electrical lanes 120 of the ENEs 30may alternatively be interconnected with the 5:2 electrical interfaces150 in any other appropriate pre-selected interconnection scheme. Forexample, a distribution of the electrical lanes 120 of the M×K ENEs 30may be determined, and each lane of the distribution may beinterconnected with a respective lane port 155 of one of the 5:2electrical interfaces 150. The distribution may, for example, define aninterconnection scheme in which each ENE 30 has its electrical lanes 120split between two 5:2 electrical interfaces 150 thus associating eachoptical transceiver 60 with electrical lanes 120 of 5 ENEs 30.

It is appreciated that the distribution may be determined, for example,in response to at least one of the following: an instruction of thenetwork operator; and a selection by the network operator. The networkoperator may, for example, use a processor (not shown) for computing thedistribution. After computing the distribution the network operator may,for example, interconnect the electrical lanes 120 with the 5:2electrical interfaces 150 of the optical transceivers 60 according tothe distribution, and use a transmitter (not shown) for transmitting anindication identifying the distribution to at least one of thefollowing: at least one of the M×K ENEs 30; and at least one of the ENEs50.

In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention which isdescribed below with reference to FIGS. 2A and 2B, the electrical lanes120 may be interconnected with the 5:2 electrical interfaces 150 of theoptical transceivers 60 in a programmable and changeable scheme.

Reference is now additionally made to FIGS. 2A and 2B, which togetherconstitute a simplified block diagram illustration of anotherimplementation of the communication network 10.

FIG. 2A depicts the network 10 in communication in a direction from theENEs 30, that is, towards the hub 40 and/or towards the ENEs 50, andFIG. 2B depicts the network 10 in communication in a direction towardsthe ENEs 30, that is, from the hub 40 and/or from the ENEs 50.

The embodiment of FIGS. 2A and 2B is similar to the embodiment of FIGS.1A and 1B except that the network 10 in the embodiment of FIGS. 2A and2B additionally includes an interconnection switch 200, and theelectrical lanes 120 may be interconnected with the M:N electricalinterfaces 150 in a programmable and changeable scheme via theinterconnection switch 200.

The interconnection switch 200 is operatively associated with the ENEs30 and with the optical transceivers 60 and it enables the ENEs 30 tocommunicate with the ENEs 50 via the optical transceivers 60. Theinterconnection switch 200 includes a controller 210 and aswitching/routing unit 220. The interconnection switch 200 may alsoinclude a transmitter 230 and an input unit 240.

The switching/routing unit 220 is operatively controlled by thecontroller 210 to interconnect the electrical lanes 120 of the M×K ENEs30 with the M:N electrical interfaces 150 of the N×K opticaltransceivers 60 so as to bypass the communication interfaces 110 of theM×K ENEs 30 and to enable use of at least one of the N×K opticaltransceivers 60 for communicating data between at least one of the M×KENEs 30 interconnected with the at least one of the N×K opticaltransceivers 60 and at least one of the ENEs 50. FIG. 2A depicts a partof the switching/routing unit 220 which is associated with theelectrical lanes 120 which are used for transmission to at least one ofthe ENEs 50, and FIG. 2B depicts a part of the switching/routing unit220 which is associated with the electrical lanes 120 which are used forreception from at least one of the ENEs 50.

The controller 210 may be operative to determine a distribution of theelectrical lanes 120 of the M×K ENEs 30, and to control theswitching/routing unit 220 for interconnecting each lane of thedistribution with a respective lane port 155 of the M:N electricalinterfaces 150. Additionally, the controller 210 may provide anindication identifying the distribution to the transmitter 230, and thetransmitter 230 may transmit the indication identifying the distributionto at least one of the following: at least one of the M×K ENEs 30; andat least one of the ENEs 50. By way of a non-limiting example, thetransmitter 230 may transmit the indication over a control channel (notshown).

It is appreciated that the distribution may be determined, for example,in response to at least one of the following: an instruction of thenetwork operator; and a selection by the network operator. The networkoperator may, for example, employ the input unit 240 for inputting theinstruction and/or selection usable by the controller 210 fordetermining the distribution.

By inputting different instructions and/or selections the networkoperator may change the distribution and thus interconnect theelectrical lanes 120 with the M:N electrical interfaces 150 in aprogrammable and changeable scheme.

In operation, the network operator may change the distribution due to,for example, faults in one of the M×K ENEs 30 and/or in one of theoptical transceivers 60. For example, if one of the M×K ENEs 30 and oneof the optical transceivers 60 become inoperable, and the electricallanes 120 of the inoperable ENE 30 are associated with an operableoptical transceiver 60, the network operator may input an instruction orselection instructing the controller 210 to change the distribution andto cause the switching/routing unit 220 to disconnect the inoperable ENE30 and to interconnect the electrical lanes 120 of another ENE 30 withthe operable optical transceiver 60.

It is appreciated that the interconnection switch 200 may be astand-alone unit comprised in the datacenter 20. Alternatively, theinterconnection switch 200 may be comprised in one of the ENEs 30 or inone of the optical transceivers 60.

Reference is now made to FIG. 3, which is a simplified flowchartillustration of a method of enabling communication between NEs operatingat different bit rates in any of the network of FIGS. 1A and 1B and thenetwork of FIGS. 2A and 2B.

NEs operating at a bit rate R₁, and NEs operating at a bit rate R₂ areprovided (step 300). Each NE operating at the bit rate R₁ comprises acommunication interface which communicates at the bit rate R₁. A ratioof R₂ to R₁ is represented by a ratio M:N, M and N are positiveintegers, and M>N. The NEs operating at the bit rate R₁ comprise atleast M×K NEs, where K is a positive integer.

A number N×K of transceivers operating at the bit rate R₂ is alsoprovided (step 310). Each of the N×K transceivers comprises an M:Nelectrical interface which enables translation between bit rates whoseratio is represented by the ratio M:N.

In order to enable the NEs operating at the bit rate R₁ to communicatewith the NEs operating at the bit rate R₂, communication interfaces ofthe M×K NEs operating at the bit rate R₁ are bypassed (step 320) byinterconnecting electrical lanes of the M×K NEs with the M:N electricalinterfaces of the N×K transceivers, and at least one of the N×Ktransceivers is used (step 330) for communicating data between at leastone of the M×K NEs interconnected with the at least one of the N×Ktransceivers and at least one of the NEs operating at the bit rate R₂.

Reference is now made to FIG. 4, which is a simplified flowchartillustration of a method of interconnecting Ethernet network elements(ENEs) operating at a bit rate of substantially 40 Gb/s withtransceivers operating at a bit rate of substantially 100 Gb/s in any ofthe network of FIGS. 1A and 1B and the network of FIGS. 2A and 2B.

A number 5×K of ENEs which operate at a bit rate of substantially 40Gb/s is provided (step 400), where K is a positive integer. Each of the5×K ENEs comprises a communication interface communicating at the bitrate of substantially 40 Gb/s.

Additionally, a number 2×K of transceivers operating at the bit rate ofsubstantially 100 Gb/s is also provided (step 410). Each of the 2×Ktransceivers has a 5:2 electrical interface operative to translate 10×10Gb/s to 4×25 Gb/s and vice versa, that is, to convert 10 lanes atsubstantially 10 Gb/s lane rates (10×10 Gb/s) into 4 lanes atsubstantially 25 Gb/s lane rates (4×25 Gb/s), and to convert 4 lanes atsubstantially 25 Gb/s lane rates (4×25 Gb/s) into 10 lanes atsubstantially 10 Gb/s lane rates (10×10 Gb/s).

At least one of the communication interfaces is then bypassed (step 420)by interconnecting at least one electrical lane of at least one of the5×K ENEs which comprises the at least one of the communicationinterfaces with at least one of the 5:2 electrical interfaces.

Reference is now made to FIG. 5, which is a simplified flowchartillustration of another method of enabling communication between NEsoperating at different bit rates in any of the network of FIGS. 1A and1B and the network of FIGS. 2A and 2B.

An NE operating at a bit rate R₁ which represents an accumulated bitrate of N×J lanes, each operating at a lane bit rate R₀, and an NEoperating at a bit rate R₂ which represents an accumulated bit rate ofM×J lanes, each operating at the lane bit rate R₀, are provided (step500), where N, M, and J are positive integers, and M>N.

At least one transceiver which operates at the bit rate R₂ and comprisesM×J lane ports for lanes operating at the lane bit rate R₀ is alsoprovided (step 510).

Then, N×J lanes of the NE operating at the bit rate R₁ areinterconnected (step 520) with N×J of the M×J lane ports of the at leastone transceiver, and the at least one transceiver is used (step 530) forcommunicating data between the NE operating at the bit rate R₁ and theNE operating at the bit rate R₂.

It is appreciated that various features of the invention which are, forclarity, described in the contexts of separate embodiments may also beprovided in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, variousfeatures of the invention which are, for brevity, described in thecontext of a single embodiment may also be provided separately or in anysuitable sub-combination.

It will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that the presentinvention is not limited by what has been particularly shown anddescribed hereinabove. Rather the scope of the invention is defined bythe appended claims and their equivalents:

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for enabling communication between anetwork element (NE) operating at a bit rate R₁ and a NE operating at abit rate R₂, the bit rate R₁ representing an accumulated bit rate of N×Jlanes, each of the N×J lanes operating at a lane bit rate R₀, the bitrate R₂ representing an accumulated bit rate of M×J lanes, each of theM×J lanes operating at the lane bit rate R₀, where N, M, and J arepositive integers, and M>N, the method comprising: operating atransceiver at the bit rate R₂, the transceiver comprising M×J laneports for lanes operating at the lane bit rate R₀; and interconnectingN×J lanes of the NE operating at the bit rate R₁ with N×J of the M×Jlane ports of the transceiver, wherein the interconnecting is based on areceived instruction, and wherein the interconnecting comprisesbypassing a communication interface of a NE that the NE uses tocommunicate with another NE operating at a same bit rate.
 2. The methodaccording to claim 1 further comprising: the transceiver communicatingdata between the NE operating at the bit rate R₁ and the NE operating atthe bit rate R₂.
 3. The method according to claim 2 further comprising:associating with the data a packet comprising a destination addressfield that comprises an address of a destination NE.
 4. The methodaccording to claim 3, wherein the associating comprises: associating thepacket with the data on a lane-by-lane basis.
 5. The method according toclaim 2 further comprising: adding a packet comprising a destinationaddress field that comprises an address of a destination NE to the data.6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the adding comprises: addingthe packet to the data on a lane-by-lane basis.
 7. The method accordingto claim 1, wherein the transceiver is a radio-frequency (RF)transceiver, the method further comprising: the RF transceivercommunicating data between the NE operating at the bit rate R₁ and theNE operating at the bit rate R₂ when a communication path between the NEoperating at the bit rate R₁ and the NE operating at the bit rate R₂ isup to 10 meters long.
 8. The method according to claim 1, wherein thetransceiver is a radio-frequency (RF) transceiver, the method furthercomprising: the RF transceiver communicating data between the NEoperating at the bit rate R₁ and the NE operating at the bit rate R₂ inthe electrical domain.
 9. The method according to claim 1, wherein M isnot an integral multiple of N.
 10. The method according to claim 1,wherein the lane bit rate R₀ is substantially 10 Gb/s, the bit rate R₁is substantially 40 Gb/s, and the bit rate R₂ is substantially 100 Gb/s.11. A method for enabling communication between a network element (NE)operating at a bit rate R₁, and a NE operating at a bit rate R₂, the bitrate R₁ representing an accumulated bit rate of N×J lanes, each of theN×J lanes operating at a lane bit rate R₀, the bit rate R₂ representingan accumulated bit rate of M×J lanes, each of the M×J lanes operating atthe lane bit rate R₀, where N, M, and J are positive integers, and M>N,the method comprising: communicatively coupling to a device both N×Jlanes of the NE operating at the bit rate R₁ and the NE operating at thebit rate R₂; operating a transceiver of the device at the bit rate R₂,the transceiver comprising M×J lane ports for lanes operating at thelane bit rate R₀; interconnecting the N×J lanes of the NE operating atthe bit rate R₁ with N×J of the M×J lane ports of the transceiver,wherein the interconnecting is based on a received instruction, andwherein the interconnecting comprises bypassing a communicationinterface of a NE that the NE uses to communicate with another NEoperating at a same bit rate; and communicating, by the device, databetween the NE operating at the bit rate R₁ and the NE operating at thebit rate R₂.
 12. The method according to claim 11, wherein M is not anintegral multiple of N.
 13. The method according to claim 11, whereinthe lane bit rate R₀ is substantially 10 Gb/s, the bit rate R₁ issubstantially 40 Gb/s, and the bit rate R₂ is substantially 100 Gb/s.14. A transceiver comprising: an electrical interface configured tointerconnect N×J lanes of a first network element (NE) operating at abit rate R₁, the bit rate R₁ representing an accumulated bit rate of N×Jlanes, with N×J of the M×J lane ports of the transceiver, based on areceived instruction; and a communication interface configured tocommunicate data between the first NE operating at the bit rate R₁ and asecond NE operating at the bit rate R₂, the bit rate R2 representing anaccumulated bit rate of M×J lanes, wherein a communication interface ofthe first NE that is used to communicate with another NE operating at asame bit rate is bypassed.
 15. The transceiver according to claim 14,wherein M is not an integral multiple of N.
 16. The transceiveraccording to claim 14, wherein the lane bit rate R₀ is substantially 10Gb/s, the bit rate R₁ is substantially 40 Gb/s, and the bit rate R₂ issubstantially 100 Gb/s.